Many people either enjoy growing and caring for plants, or they enjoy looking at them and admiring their beauty. Plants may be grown in a garden or landscaping environment, or they may be grown in containers. Some plants are held in a plant container, usually with some form of growing medium, until they can be transplanted into a more permanent location. Other plants remain in a plant container and are displayed in that manner. Plant containers come in various sizes and shapes, with most being of a size that is readily transportable by one person without any specialized equipment.
A common form of plant container has an open top, a slightly sloping sidewall, and a bottom. Its general form may be frusto-conical with a more or less circular top opening and a closed bottom. One or more drainage holes generally may be located at the bottom. For those situations where the plant container is a temporary vessel for a plant that is intended for planting in the ground, the plant container is often made of a nondescript plastic material. In other circumstances, for example where one wishes to display a plant along with its container, the container itself may be more ornate.
The usual procedure for removing a plant and its growing medium from a plant container for transplanting is to upend the container, and press gently on the bottom. As the plant and its growing medium are removed from the plant container, they may be carefully handled and planted in the ground. Sometimes, unfortunately, the plant and its growing medium may not release from the plant container as easily as it might seem. The result may be that the growing medium breaks away from the plant roots and damages the root system unduly. Commonly, once the plant container is emptied of its plant, it has served its purpose. The usual procedure is then to dispose of the plant container or simply store it for potential further use.
Some plants grow long stems that may require some form of support to prevent them from falling over. For example, some types of lilies grow tall and produce beautiful, but relatively heavy flowers atop the tall stems. Gravity alone may cause the plants to droop. Considering further the effect of wind and rain, this is a type of garden flower that may require a plant support in order to ensure that its beauty may be enjoyed to the fullest. Such plant supports are usually in the form of an elongated stake, rod, or wire that is pushed or driven into the ground, and the plant stem is often secured to the plant support by some form of flexible tie member.
In addition to the requirement that some plants be supported by one or more plant supports, it also may sometimes be desirable to protect the lower part of the plant from damage. For example, plants may require protection from mechanical damage, such as by lawn equipment or pets. Plants also may require protection from pests or from the elements. One solution commonly employed to help prevent mechanical damage is to enclose the plant by fencing material or by stones. Another solution to protect plants from sunscald or from insect or rodent damage is to provide some form of wrapping at the lower portion of the plant.
Gardens and landscape endeavors may be artistic displays that include more than plants. Accordingly, some gardeners also enjoy adding decorations of various types to their plantings. These may appear, for example, in the form of various ornaments placed adjacent and/or dispersed among the plants. The result may be a garden assemblage of living plants and inanimate objects of art or decoration.
It would be both beneficial and desirable for a plant container itself to serve some function other than merely to transport the plant to its garden location. For example, it would be of great benefit if the plant container could serve the additional purpose of protecting the plant as it is growing. It also would be desirable to have a plant container that is more reliably removable from the plant and growing medium contained within it with decreased risk of damaging plant roots. Further, it would be a benefit if the plant container could in some way help maintain plant supports employed for those plants which may need to be supported. In addition, it would be advantageous if the plant container could serve an ornamental purpose.
A plant container that also may be used to protect seedlings after they are planted is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 404,585 to Wright (“the Wright patent”). The Wright patent discloses a container that is nearly cylindrical, but slightly smaller at its bottom than at its top. The container is made of paper, and its bottom is formed by folding over the paper at the lower edge. The edges of the paper used to make the container are held together by wire staples. When a small plant in the container is to be transplanted, the bottom of the container is unfolded and the container and plant are placed in the ground. With the bottom wire staple removed, the container may then be slid up over the root mass and used to protect the stem of the plant. The plant container of the Wright patent is intended to be thrown away after use.
While the plant container of the Wright patent may facilitate transplanting of small plants and serve to protect young seedlings after they are transplanted, it may have only limited value in a garden or landscape environment. For example, the container of the Wright patent, since it is disclosed as made of paper, obviously would be limited to use with small seedlings. In addition, it is not readily apparent that the container could reliably be pulled up over the plant after planting without tearing since growing medium and root mass may have adhered to the inside surface of the container. Furthermore, the Wright patent does not disclose any way to use plant supports in cooperation with the plant container. Moreover, the intent disclosed in the Wright patent is to throw away the plant container after use, and the Wright patent does not contemplate any auxiliary decorative use of the container.
The disclosed plant container assembly and method include improvements in known plant container assemblies and methods of the character described.